It’s the list of Nike facts you probably didn’t know: part two. There are a lot of ’em, and we’re really still just at the beginning. If you like your Jordans, you’ll like this list.
Number Forty: Their Most Famous Campaign is Enshrined at the Smithsonian. The “Just Do It” ads – there were only three total in the original campaign – were first launched in 1988. The words would soon become inextricably linked to the brand.
Number Thirty-Nine: The Late Running Steve Prefontaine Has Been Called “The Soul of Nike.” Co-founder Phil Knight has said this about the athlete, who died tragically in 1975 at the age of just 24.
Number Thirty-Eight: The Backstory of the “Just Do It” Campaign is Pretty Dark. Apparently the phrase was inspired by the murderer Gary Gilmore – they were his last words before he was executed.
Number Thirty-Seven: Marty McFly is Known for His Nike Gear. The iconic Back to the Future character (played by Michael J. Fox) is known for wearing Air Mags, but he wore Nike Bruins as well.
Number Thirty-Six: Daewoo Created the Foamposite One. It was designed by Nike, but the car company (which is no longer in business) executed the creation of the sneaker.
Number Thirty-Five: A College Student Designed the Nike Swoosh. Carolyn Davidson was a student at Portland State University when she created the company’s logo. She only got paid $35, but she got some stock. Hopefully, she held onto it.
Number Thirty-Four: Foot Locker No Longer Carries High-End Nikes. Unhappy with the increasingly high prices, the sneaker distributor stopped stocking the expensive models in 2003.
Number Thirty-Three: The Zoom Air was Introduced in 1995 – But With a Different Name. It was originally called “Tensile Air.”
Number Thirty-Two: Though The Company is Based Out of Oregon, It’s Original Research and Development Lab Was in New Hampshire. It has since been relocated to Beaverton, Oregon but it started out in a little town called Greenland in New Hampshire.
Number Thirty-One: The Cortez – A Classic Nike Sneaker – Was Inspired by the Onitsuka Tiger Corsair. They don’t resemble each other too closely, but one influenced the other nonetheless. That’s it for part two but check back for part three (coming soon).